U.S. patent application number 11/826735 was filed with the patent office on 2008-02-07 for method and device for mounting a rope on a rope pulley.
Invention is credited to Osmo Bjorni.
Application Number | 20080029347 11/826735 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34112642 |
Filed Date | 2008-02-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080029347 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bjorni; Osmo |
February 7, 2008 |
Method and device for mounting a rope on a rope pulley
Abstract
The invention relates to a method and a device for mounting a
rope 3 on a rope pulley (2) by winding the rope (3) at least
partially around the rope pulley (2). According to the invention,
the end of the rope (3) to be mounted is pressed into a rope groove
of the rope pulley (2) by means of a special rope holder (4)
attached to the rope pulley (2), and the rope (3) is guided over
the rope pulley (2) by setting the rope pulley (2) into rotating
motion.
Inventors: |
Bjorni; Osmo; (Hyvinkaa,
FI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HARNESS, DICKEY & PIERCE, P.L.C.
P.O. BOX 8910
RESTON
VA
20195
US
|
Family ID: |
34112642 |
Appl. No.: |
11/826735 |
Filed: |
July 18, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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PCT/FI06/00021 |
Jan 27, 2006 |
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11826735 |
Jul 18, 2007 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
187/251 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B66B 19/02 20130101;
Y10T 29/49455 20150115; Y10T 29/49453 20150115 |
Class at
Publication: |
187/251 |
International
Class: |
B66B 11/04 20060101
B66B011/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jan 28, 2005 |
FI |
20050096 |
Claims
1. A method for mounting a rope on a rope pulley by winding the
rope at least partially around the rope pulley, wherein the end of
the rope to be mounted is pressed into a rope groove of the rope
pulley by means of a special rope holder attachable to the rope
pulley, and that the rope is guided over the rope pulley by setting
the rope pulley into rotating motion.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein a clamping part comprised
in the rope holder is pressed onto the end of one or more mutually
adjacent ropes and locked to the inner surface of a flange forming
the outer rim of the rope pulley to produce a clamping effect on
the ropes.
3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the ropes pressed by
their ends into the grooves of the rope pulley by means of the rope
holder are mounted in the grooves of the traction sheave by pushing
the ropes in the direction of advance around the rope pulley by
setting the rope pulley into rotating motion by the action of the
pushing movement and/or by rotating the rope pulley
4. A method according to claim 1, wherein first the rope holder is
fastened without the ropes by its clamping part to the flange of
the rope pulley by means of claws, whereupon the rope pulley is
rotated so that the rope holder advances with the clamping part
first around the rope pulley substantially approximately to its
starting point so that the leading end of the stem part remains
visible outside the casing, whereupon the clamping part is detached
from the rope pulley, the ends of the ropes are fitted into the
grooves of the rope pulley and pressed into position in the grooves
by locking the clamping part again by means of the claws to the
flange of the rope pulley and the ropes are mounted on the rope
pulley by rotating the rope pulley by pulling by the leading end of
the stem part of the rope holder and guiding the ropes to pass over
the rope pulley.
5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the ends of the ropes to
be mounted are clamped by means of the rope holder against the rope
grooves of the rope pulley by spring force.
6. A device for mounting a rope on a rope pulley by passing the
rope at least partially around the rope pulley, wherein the device
consists of at least a rope holder, said rope holder comprising at
least a clamping part that presses one or more mutually adjacent
ropes against the rope pulley and that is attachable to the rope
pulley.
7. A device according to claim 6, wherein the clamping part of the
rope holder comprises at least claws functioning as clamping
elements and producing a spring force, said claws being provided
with deflections.
8. A device according to claim 6, wherein the claws have been so
designed and bent that, when the rope holder has been set in
position upon the ends of the ropes during the mounting of the
ropes, the claws can be locked by at least one of their deflections
to the inner surface of the flange forming the outer rim of the
rope pulley.
9. A device according to claim 6, wherein the width of the clamping
part of the rope holder is substantially the same as the width of
the outer rim of the rope pulley for which the rope holder is
intended.
10. A device according to claim 6, wherein the device comprises an
elongated, flexible stem part, said stem part having at its leading
end a hole for the attachment of the rope holder to a pulling line,
pulling tool or equivalent.
11. A device according to claim 6, wherein the clamping part of the
rope holder has at its edge a substantially short projection or
bevel having a width substantially equal to that of the clamping
part and bent obliquely downwards.
12. A device according to claim 6, wherein the clamping part of the
rope holder has at its forward edge a substantially short
projection having a width substantially equal to that of the
clamping part and bent obliquely downwards.
Description
PRIORITY STATEMENT
[0001] This application is a continuation of PCT/FI2006/000021,
filed on Jan. 27, 2006, which is an international application
claiming priority from FI 20050096, filed Jan. 28, 2005, the entire
contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
[0002] The present invention relates to a method as defined in the
preamble of claim 1 and to device method as defined in the preamble
of claim 6 for mounting a rope on a rope pulley.
[0003] New elevator solutions are increasingly frequently
implemented using large suspension ratios, necessitating the use of
a plurality of rope pulleys in the rigging. The rope suspension of
a modern elevator may comprise as many as over 20 diverting
pulleys. In addition, modern elevators often use thin high-strength
ropes, a plurality of which may be placed side by side.
[0004] According to prior art, elevator hoisting ropes are mounted
manually in the rope grooves of a diverting pulley by feeding ropes
onto the diverting pulley and rotating the diverting pulley in the
direction of rope feed. Jump guards or similar devices keep the
ropes in the rope grooves. However, diverting pulleys are often
placed in a casing, and consequently feeding the ropes onto the
diverting pulley inside the casing is a difficult and
time-consuming task. It is particularly difficult to mount the
ropes on an encased diverting pulley when the ropes are passed
around the encased diverting pulley in a structure where the
grooves of the diverting pulley are at least partially hidden
inside the casing. In such cases, the casing often has to be
disassembled to allow the ropes to be mounted. This problem has a
pronounced significance in new elevator solutions which, due to the
rope suspension, comprise a plurality of diverting pulleys, with
the result that the task of mounting the ropes in connection with
first installation or rope change requires a very great deal of
time.
[0005] Specification JP 2002-362851 discloses a solution in which
the elevator hoisting ropes are pulled around the traction sheave
by means of a pulling line, and this specification also describes
attachment of the pulling line to the traction sheave, but it
contains no description of clamping the ropes or their ends against
a rope pulley by means of a rope holder.
[0006] The object of the present invention is to overcome the
above-mentioned drawbacks and create a method enabling fast and
reliable mounting of a rope and an easy-to-manufacture device
economical in cost and enabling fast and reliable mounting of a
rope for pulling ropes onto a rope pulley. The method of the
invention is characterized by what is disclosed in the
characterization part of claim 1. Correspondingly, the device of
the invention is characterized by what is disclosed in the
characterization part of claim 6. Other embodiments of the
invention are characterized by what is disclosed in the other
claims.
[0007] Inventive embodiments are also presented in the description
part and drawings of the present application. The inventive content
disclosed in the application can also be defined in other ways than
is done in the claims below. The inventive content may also consist
of several separate inventions, especially if the invention is
considered in the light of explicit or implicit sub-tasks or in
respect of advantages or sets of advantages achieved. In this case,
some of the attributes contained in the claims below may be
superfluous from the point of view of separate inventive concepts.
Similarly, details presented in connection with each embodiment
example of the invention can be applied in other embodiment
examples as well.
[0008] Hereinafter, the method and device of the invention are
referred to by the common designation `solution of the invention`.
Moreover, the device alone is referred to hereinafter by the term
`rope holder`, describing the manner of application of the device.
The advantages of the solution of the invention include a simple,
functional and maintenance-free rope holder structure and the fact
that it allows the elevator ropes to be mounted quickly and
reliably even in the case of a roping that comprises a plurality of
diverting pulleys. In addition, the invention makes it possible to
mount the ropes onto an encased rope pulley quickly and easily. A
further advantage is that the rope holder makes it possible to
mount the ropes onto the diverting pulley without opening the
casing even when the ropes are passed around an encased diverting
pulley in a structure where the grooves of the diverting pulley are
at least partially hidden inside the casing. An additional
advantage is that mutually adjacent ropes can easily be kept in
good order during the mounting operation, so the ropes will not be
tangled with each other.
[0009] In the following, the invention will be described in detail
with reference to an embodiment example and the attached drawings,
wherein
[0010] FIG. 1 presents an oblique top view of a rope holder
according to the invention, attached to an encased diverting
pulley,
[0011] FIG. 2 presents a top view of the rope holder of the
invention at the manufacturing stage in a shortened form,
[0012] FIG. 3 presents the rope holder of the invention attached
onto a rope pulley in a sectional view from behind,
[0013] FIG. 4 presents a side view of the rope holder of the
invention attached to an encased diverting pulley with the casing
opened,
[0014] FIG. 5 presents a top view of a rope holder according to a
preferred embodiment of the invention at the manufacturing
stage,
[0015] FIG. 6 presents a side view of the rope holder of FIG. 5 in
the finished form, and
[0016] FIG. 7 presents an oblique top view of the rope holder in
FIGS. 5 and 6 attached to an encased diverting pulley.
[0017] FIG. 1 presents a diverting pulley casing 1 provided with
two rope pulleys 2 functioning as diverting pulleys, placed one
above the other. This type of casing structures are often used e.g.
in elevators having a large suspension ratio, requiring many
diverting pulleys. The rope holder of the invention can also be
readily used in other casing solutions comprising only one or more
diverting pulleys. The elevator hoisting ropes 3 running side by
side are placed in the rope grooves on the upper rope pulley 2 so
that the rope ends are clamped between the rope grooves and a
flexible rope holder 4 fastened to the flange at the periphery of
the rope pulley 2. The rope holder 4 is tightened against the inner
surface of the flange of the rope pulley 2 by spring-like
inwards-bent claws 5. Correspondingly, the stem part 8 of the rope
holder 4 is bent over the rope pulley 2 along the outer surface of
the rope pulley around the rope pulley 2 in such manner that, in
FIG. 1, the leading end of the stem part 8 of the rope holder 4
projects suitably out over the forward upper edge of the casing 1.
The bending of the rope holder 4 around the rope pulley 2 will be
described in greater detail below in connection with the
description of the method.
[0018] FIG. 2 presents the rope holder 4 of the invention at the
manufacturing stage as a separate piece and shortened in its
lengthwise direction and before the claws 5 are bent into their
final shape. The strip-like rope holder 4 consists of a band-like
and flexible material made of metal, e.g. steel, which has been so
processed that the rope holder has a spring-like structure. At the
trailing end of the rope holder 4 is a clamping part 7, which is a
thin, substantially planar structure of rectangular form in the
longitudinal direction of the rope holder. At the trailing end of
the rope holder are two claws 5 projecting perpendicularly sideways
from the clamping part 7, one claw on either side. Placed at a
distance towards the leading end from the claws 5 at the trailing
end are another two claws 5 corresponding to the aforesaid claws.
Thus, there are a total of two substantially identical claws 5 on
either side of the rope holder at the leading and trailing ends of
the clamping part 7.
[0019] From the claws 5 towards the leading end, the rope holder
has a strip-like, elongated, flexible stem part 8 extending as an
even band-like structure towards the leading end of the rope
holder, which leading end tapers forward in a wedge-like manner.
The length of the stem part 8 is appropriately selected so that the
total length of the stem part 8 and the clamping part 7 is
substantially equal to or suitably greater than the length of the
corresponding circumference of the rope pulley 2. The elongated
stem part 8 makes it possible to thread the ropes around an encased
rope pulley even when part of the rope pulley is hidden inside the
casing. The hoisting ropes can therefore be easily and quickly
mounted even on encased diverting pulleys to which the ropes come
from above and, having passed around the diverting pulley, return
upwards again, or similarly when the ropes come from below and,
having passed around the diverting pulley, run downwards again. The
leading end of the stem 8 of the rope holder 4 is additionally
provided with an aperture 6 to allow the rope holder to be fastened
to a pulling line, pulling tool or equivalent, by means of which
the rope holder 4 is pulled around the rope pulley 2,
simultaneously guiding the ropes 3 onto the rope pulley.
[0020] FIG. 3 presents the rope holder 4 of the invention, mounted
on a rope pulley 2 and seen from the direction of the trailing end.
To render the figure more illustrative, both the rope pulley 2 and
the hoisting ropes 3 are shown in cross-section. At the
manufacturing stage, the claws of the rope holder 4 are bent such
that each claw 5 has a first deflection 9, which is bent
substantially perpendicularly downwards from the side edge of the
clamping part 7. Thus, both the width of the clamping part 7 and
the distance between the opposite claws 5 substantially correspond
to the width of the flange forming the outer rim of the rope pulley
2 for which the rope holder 4 is intended. On rope pulleys of
different widths, it is preferable to use a rope holder designed
for the rope pulley in question.
[0021] As an extension of deflection 9, the rope holder has a
second deflection 10 bent inwards, i.e. towards the longitudinal
center axis of the rope holder 4. The second deflection 10 has been
bent suitably to an angle somewhat over 90.degree. relative to the
first deflection 9. Thus, the second deflection 10 is in a somewhat
inclined position such that the tail of the second deflection 10
rises towards the clamping part 7. Similarly, the rope holder has a
third deflection 11 forming an extension of the end portion of the
second deflection 10 and bent suitably to an angle somewhat below
90.degree. relative to the second deflection 10 so that the third
deflection 11 and the first deflection 9 extend in substantially
parallel directions, although this is not necessary.
[0022] The dimensions and positions of the deflections 9-11 of the
rope holder intended for each rope pulley size have been adapted
with respect to the dimensions of the rope pulley and the hoisting
ropes 3 used, so that, when mounted on a rope pulley 2, the
spring-like claws 5 with their deflections 9-11 produce a force
pressing the hoisting ropes 3 into the rope grooves of the rope
pulley 2. In this situation, the angle between the second
deflection 10 and the third deflection 11 is touching the inner
surface 13 of the flange forming the outer rim of the rope pulley 2
and pulls the clamping part 7 of the rope holder 4 towards the
outer surface of the outer rim of the rope pulley. The clamping
force is so selected that it is sufficient to keep the hoisting
ropes 3 in the rope grooves by friction during the entire pulling
movement, by which pulling movement the hoisting ropes 3 are guided
over the rope pulley 2, simultaneously rotating the rope pulley.
Thus, the bent claws 5 function as clamping and locking elements of
the rope holder 4 and the ends of the ropes 3.
[0023] By the method of the invention, the ropes are mounted on a
rope pulley by using a strip-like rope holder 4 as described above,
e.g. as follows. First, the rope holder 4 is fastened without the
ropes by its clamping part 7 to the flange of the rope pulley 2 by
means of the claws 5. After this, the rope pulley 2 is rotated so
that the rope holder 4 advances with the clamping part 7 first into
the casing 1 and passes with the clamping part 7 first
substantially around the rope pulley 2. In a case as illustrated in
FIGS. 1 and 4, the rope pulley 2 is rotated anti-clockwise at this
stage. The rope pulley 2 is rotated until the clamping part 7 of
the rope holder 4, having passed around with the rope pulley, comes
out of the casing 1 approximately to its starting point again. The
length of the stem part 8 of the rope holder 4 is suitably
dimensioned so that, when the clamping part 7 is again at about its
starting point, the stem part 8 has not been drawn entirely into
the casing 1, but the leading end of the stem part 8 remains
visible outside the casing 1.
[0024] Next, the clamping part 7 is detached from the rope pulley
either completely or only at its trailing end, and the ends of the
ropes 3 are fitted into the grooves of the rope pulley 2 and
pressed into position in the grooves by locking the clamping part 7
again by means of the claws 5 to the flange of the rope pulley 2 so
that the ends of the ropes 3 remain at least under the clamping
part 7. After the ends of the ropes 3 have thus been locked to the
rope grooves of the rope pulley 2 by clamping, the ropes 3 are
mounted on the rope pulley 2 by pulling the rope holder 4 by the
leading end of the stem part 8 of the rope holder and guiding the
ropes 3 to pass over the rope pulley. If the rope pulley 2 does not
readily rotate by itself during the pulling, the movement of the
ropes 3 into position is additionally assisted if necessary by
rotating the rope pulley 2 and simultaneously feeding the ropes 3
onto the rope pulley 2 as loosely as possible. The rope holder 4
protects the rope ends and guides the ropes along the grooves of
the rope pulley around the rope pulley 2, and thus the jump guards
placed in the casing near the outer rim of the rope pulley 2 are
not an obstacle to the installation of the ropes. The jump guards
are omitted from the drawings for the sake of clarity.
[0025] FIG. 5-7 present a short rope holder 4a according to a
preferred embodiment of the invention for the mounting of ropes 3
on a rope pulley. A difference to the structure of the strip-like
rope holder 4 mentioned above is that the rope holder 4a has no
long, strip-like stem part 8. The structure, dimensions and
function of the clamping part 7 together with the spring-like claws
5 are substantially identical to those of the strip-like rope
holder 4 described above. Instead of an elongated stem part 8, the
clamping part 7 has at its forward edge a substantially short
projection 12 bent obliquely downwards, pointing in an obliquely
downward and forward direction and having a width substantially
equal to that of the clamping part 7. One of the functions of the
projection 12 is to prevent the ends of the ropes 3 from coming out
from under the forward edge of the clamping part 7 when the ropes
are being pushed forwards. Thus, the ends of the ropes 3 can
neither slide forwards nor bend freely away from the groove, in
which case they might e.g. hit the jump guards inside the casing 1
or cause other problems. Alternatively, the edge of the rope holder
can also be bent downwards to form a short bevel even if it has no
projection 12.
[0026] By the method of the invention, the ropes are mounted on a
rope pulley by using a short rope holder 4a e.g. as follows. First,
the ends of the ropes 3 are fitted into the groove of the rope
pulley 2 and pressed into position by locking the clamping part 7
to the flange of the rope pulley 2 by means of the claws 5 so that
the ends of the ropes 3 remain under the clamping part 7. After the
ends of the ropes 3 have thus been locked to the rope grooves of
the rope pulley 2 by clamping, the ropes 3 are mounted on the rope
pulley 2 by suitably pushing the ropes 3 in their direction of
advance and guiding the ropes 3 to pass around the rope pulley. The
movement of the ropes 3 into position is additionally assisted if
necessary by rotating the rope pulley 2 and simultaneously feeding
the ropes 3 onto the rope pulley 2 in a suitable manner. The rope
holder 4a protects the rope ends and guides the ropes along the
grooves of the rope pulley around the rope pulley 2, and thus the
jump guards in the casing near the outer rim of the rope pulley 2
are not an obstacle to the installation of the ropes.
[0027] It is obvious to the person skilled in the art that the
invention is not limited to the example described above, but that
it may be varied within the scope of the claims presented below.
Thus, the shape and material of the rope holder may differ from
those described above. The rope holder may be made partly or
completely from a material other than band-like steel. For example,
the stem part 8 may be made of plastic or a corresponding material
while the clamping part 7 and claws 5 are of spring-like metal. The
stem part 8 may also be a threadlike or soft band-like part.
[0028] It is additionally obvious to the skilled person that the
clamping effect produced by the clamping part 7 and claws 5 can
also be accomplished by using a different type of structure instead
of a structure based on spring force. One expedient to solve the
matter is to use e.g. tightening screws, eccentric elements or
other corresponding structures to press the clamping part 7 against
the ropes 3 and the outer surface of the rope pulley 2.
* * * * *